140 individuals and 25 entities and local administrations have presented allegations against the construction of the largest photovoltaic plant that is now being planned in Catalonia, located mainly in Conca de Barberà and Urgell. The resources affect the effects that it can have on agricultural land, biodiversity, the landscape, the cultural heritage of dry stone or tourism.
The solar megapark will occupy 430 hectares, the equivalent of 600 soccer fields. The installation is divided into two projects, Bcn 1 and Bcn 2, and one has been processed urgently, modifying a previous document. In addition, the promoting company has detected the presence of the endangered Azor Eagle in the area.
The Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica has incited the procedures at the request of Shell Desarrollo, with domicile in Seville. The company contemplates installing 365,664 solar panels occupying mostly agricultural land. The center will be located in the municipalities of Passanant and Belltall, Forès Solvella, Vallfogona de Riucorb and Montblanc (Conca del Barberà) and those of Vallbona de les Monges and Ciutadilla (Urgell). In addition to Espluga de Fancolí, where two new high voltage lines of 220 KV and 400 KV will run respectively.
As far as the facilities are concerned, the company also plans to build two electrical substations, as well as three buried medium voltage lines. The plaques that will be closest to population centers are 300 meters from Passanant and 500 meters from Guardia dels Prats (Montblanc). The park is located on qualified land with Territorial Protection of agricultural and landscape interest. Guillem Figueres, a member of the Association of Neighbors and Friends of Passant, exclaims that this project “will completely change the landscape and the environment in which we find ourselves, that will directly become a polygon”.
With regard to the Bcn 2 project, the allegations could be presented until June 19, the affected individuals and entities only had 15 days to review the documentation, of more than 4,000 pages, draft the appeals and present them. The promoting company requested approval for a simplified procedure, within the framework of the National Response Plan to the economic and social consequences of the war in Ukraine. In this way, the energy company also saves the environmental evaluation, according to funds from the Conca de Barberà Regional Council. In the chaos of Bcn 1, 30 days have been enjoyed and can be done until July 9.
It is necessary to take into account that Bcn 2 is a project modified from another solar park that was to be installed in Espluga de Farncolí in Vimbodí, on the plain. So, in 2021, it was driven by Green the capital, a company that was absorbed by Shell. After the allegations, the project was denied due to the presence of the Azor Eagle in that area and the company redid the document, placing the plaques in the highest area of ??the region, in Passanant.
The City Council of Passanant and Bellart has submitted an allegation from the same administration and another through the Regional Council of the Barberà Basin, while Montblanc, Solvella and Espluga de Francolí have also been added to that of the regional body. The lawsuits address three main issues. The first is the “large size” of the park and “the impact” on the landscape, the second is the proximity of the Bcn 2 park in the core of Passanant, and the last one refers to the saturation of the electricity grid in the Basin of barber With the installation of this center alone, the electric node of the Basin will be saturated and in the future energy communications for self-consumption will have to be discarded, as detailed by the Regional Council technicians.
More than half of the megapark is located in the municipality of Passanant i Belltall. The mayoress of the micropark, Carme Amenós, advocates for maintaining a “neutral” position and explains that they have argued for the initiative to have “care of the territory.” For example, they ask that roads not be mistreated or that existing evacuation routes be used. “From the City Council, the only thing we can do is process it because we don’t have the power to do anything else,” she says. In addition, she complains about the few resources that these small towns have to face such large and complex projects.
Amenós says that there is “concern” among the residents of the town of 170 inhabitants. “Instead of being a sea of ??seeding, there will be a sea of ??plates,” he says. From the government team they point out that 90% of the owners have already agreed to rent or sell their land to the developer company. The company has offered the owners at least 1,800 euros per hectare per year from the moment the plant comes into operation.
Those who have not yet presented any appeal are the Forès and Vallfogona de Riucorb town councils justifying that the Bcn 2 project does not occupy their municipal area, but they will draft appeals in the case of Bcn 1. The mayor of Forès, Julià Josep Plaza comments that it is a “very complex situation”. “The towns or the land belong to the people who live there,” he adds. In addition, Forès is considered “the viewpoint of La Conca” and the mayor knows that the park will affect the landscape. Plaza defends that renewable energies “are necessary”, but does not agree on the way to implement them.
In Conca de Barberà there are already 78 wind turbines, making it the fifth region with the most windmills in all of Catalonia. In Passanant and Belltall there are seventeen that produce energy for some 10,000 homes. In fact, the photovoltaic plant will be located at the foot of the same mills. “As a territory, I believe that we have already complied with renewable energies,” remarks the mayoress.
In Passanant, Belltall and Ciutadilla, the plant will be located mainly on dry land, while in Montblanc, in the Guardia dels Prats area, it will occupy space where there are currently vineyards, which has caused the DO Conca de Barberà to also appear against him. The president of the DO, Ricard Sebastià, remarks that it is a “loss of agricultural land” and regrets that “there has not been an agreement with the territory.” The DO, which has also presented allegations, has requested a meeting with the Department of Agriculture, but has not yet received a response, they say. However, from the Department of Climate Action they have declined to make statements to assess this photovoltaic plant that is being developed in Conca de Barberà, alleging that it is a project of the Ministry.
The environmental impact study commissioned by the company itself warns of the presence of threatened birds and with protection and conservation measures such as the red kite, Bonelli’s eagle or the marsh harrier, considered endangered. Also the Montagu’s harrier and the mountain owl that are classified as “vulnerable” or the booted eagle or the marsh harrier that have the “protected” label.
One of the surfaces that will be occupied with plaques is a few meters from the Protected Natural Area of ??the Umbrías del Río Corb, where there is a Special Protection Area for Birds (ZEPA). Precisely, several associations have also presented allegations that refer to the Bonelli’s eagle.
The entities also believe that this photovoltaic plant will have an impact on tourism because the GR 175, known as the Cistercian Route, passes through Belltall. As they pass through the town, visitors will be surrounded by solar panels for 5 km. It is a route that is followed by more than 80,000 people a year, according to data from the Conca de Barberà Regional Council.
In another order, Belltall has been promoting Belltall garlic for more than ten years with European funds and the Tarragona Provincial Council. “There are more and more people growing it,” says Figueras, who is also part of the All de Belltall Producers Association. It is “a tool to energize the town and attract population,” she adds. From the group they fear that with the parks 20% of the agricultural land of the municipal term will be lost and, therefore, the recovery of garlic from Belltall will be affected.
